THE 30STARTUPS OF KANSAI

Bacchus Bio innovation is a synthetic biology company spun out of Kobe University. We operate an Integrated BioFoundry providing one-stop R&D from microbial strain and enzyme design, genetic engineering, and high-throughput screening to data analysis, fermentation optimization, and scale-up process development. By integrating biotechnology, digital tools, and laboratory automation through the Design–Build–Test–Learn (DBTL) cycle, we help partners create microbes that efficiently produce chemicals, materials, food ingredients, proteins, and other valuable products. We also provide an in vitro human gut microbiome model for evaluating foods, pharmaceuticals, and probiotic products.

Companies seeking to replace petroleum-based manufacturing or develop bio-derived products often face long development timelines, high technical risk, and a difficult transition from laboratory results to industrial production. Bacchus supports manufacturers, startups, and research organizations across the chemical, materials, food, cosmetics, and healthcare sectors by turning promising biological ideas into robust microbial strains and practical fermentation processes. Our platform can expand access to sustainably produced materials and ingredients while reducing dependence on fossil resources and supporting a circular bioeconomy based on renewable feedstocks and, ultimately, carbon dioxide.

Our distinction lies not in a single technology, but in the integration of the entire development workflow. Computational pathway and enzyme design, genome-scale modeling, automated strain construction, high-throughput cultivation and analysis, metabolomics, and data-driven learning are connected within a repeatable DBTL cycle. Results from each experiment inform the next design, enabling faster and more rational optimization. Bacchus can also work with diverse industrial microorganisms and evaluate performance across multiple fermentation scales, bridging the gap between early strain engineering and process development for real-world manufacturing.

Bacchus aims to become a world-leading Integrated BioFoundry and shared innovation platform for the growing bioeconomy. We will deepen partnerships with companies and research institutions in Japan and internationally, expand the range of usable microorganisms and feedstocks, and deliver manufacturing-ready combinations of high-performance strains and scalable processes. Alongside customer programs, we are advancing carbon-recycling biomanufacturing that directly utilizes CO₂. By making advanced synthetic biology more accessible and deployable, we seek to accelerate the creation of sustainable products, strengthen biomanufacturing supply chains, and help establish new industries from the Kansai region.